A switchblade is a type of knife with a folding or sliding blade that springs out of the grip when a button or lever on the grip is pressed. Double action OTFs allow the user to extend or retract the blade with the press of a sliding button. This invention replaces the blade of an OTF automatic stiletto switch knife with a golf divot tool blade and adds a cigar holder to the other end and a magnetic ball marker on the handle. Previous attempts at divot repair tools focused on providing golfers the ability to perform many functions associated with golfing in one handy tool. However, the prior art in the field lacks a repair tool that is not only functional and useful, but eye-catching, aesthetically pleasing, and unique as well.
Golfers depend upon a variety of secondary tools, such as ball washers, cleat cleaners, and probably most commonly, a turf repair tool. Turf repair tools commonly include two extending prongs which are used to repair a ball mark depression in a golf course resulting from the impact of a golf ball landing on the green thereby relieving the green of a surface irregularity that may adversely affect the putting conditions. Such tools may be formed as pocket-sized devices with hidden or otherwise protected prongs. For example, Upton U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,133 discloses a device where a folding ball mark repair tool is formed with a switchblade type mechanism.
Typically, prior art turf repair tools enable a golfer to safely support a cigar while playing a golf ball. Often, in an effort to reduce clutter in the golfer's bag, turf repair tools are combined with other tools. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,007,928 discloses a turf repair tool that functions as a shoe horn and receives a ball marker. U.S. Pat. No. 4,535,987 discloses a turf repair tool with an integral score keeper, a spike tightener and a bottle opener. U.S. Pat. No. 4,960,239 discloses a turf repair tool with a ball marker and with clips for receiving golf tees. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,292,120 discloses a tool with a pair of turf repair tines, a concave edge for supporting the grip of a golf club and features for cleaning and tightening cleats on a golf shoe.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,305,999 discloses a golf tool with many of the features already referred to. In addition, the edge of the tool opposite the tines includes a circular notch dimensioned to releasably hold a cigarette. Thus, the tines of the tool can be urged into the turf and a cigarette can be frictionally clipped in the upwardly facing recess to hold the cigarette while the golfer is playing a ball.
A golf outing is an ideal time to smoke a cigar for several reasons. For example, it may take at least one half hour to smoke a cigar. A round of golf is one of the few times when a cigar smoker has the opportunity to smoke an entire cigar. Smoking a cigar while playing a ball is typically impractical. Usually, the golfer will simply place the lit cigar on the turf while hitting the ball. The golfer will then pick up the cigar from the turf and continue smoking until it is his turn to hit the ball again.
The concern with picking up and smoking a cigar previously laid on the turf is due to the pesticides, herbicides, and a broad range of chemical fertilizers that are used regularly on golf courses. A cigar smoker who places the moist end of a cigar on the turf is likely to be ingesting these chemicals when he places the cigar back in his mouth.
In view of the above, prior art developed to provide golfers an accessory for safely supporting a cigar in a spaced relationship to the chemically treated turf of a golf course. Furthermore, prior art developed incorporating the use of a divot repair tool with a cigar or cigarette holder.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,133 to Upton discloses a folding ball mark repair tool with an elongated flattened handle that has a longitudinal central slot formed therein wherein the blade shank is pivotally disposed. A limitation of the prior art as seen in Upton and U.S. Pat. No. 6,162,137 to Jones et al. is that the blade shanks are commonly deployed via a longitudinal slot on the side of the handle. An alternate design is that the blade shanks are slidably positioned within the handle as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 6,428,430 to Chong. However, these prior art inventions fail to include a divot repair tool made from materials of the highest quality wherein the blade shanks are deployed via a double action OTF mechanism.
What is needed is a light weight, portable, divot repair tool made of high quality materials comprising a hidden spring within the handle that deploys via a double action OTF mechanism. Such a design allows the tool to be efficiently and conveniently carried in a pocket or golf bag without the concern of the forked end being exposed. The present invention provides a solution to all these shortcomings.